Bankia Explained

Bankia S.A.
Type:Sociedad Anónima
Isin:ES0113307039
Area Served:Spain
Key People:José Ignacio Goirigolzarri
(Executive Chairman)
José Sevilla
(CEO)
Industry:Financial services
Products:Retail banking, corporate banking, investment banking, private banking, asset management, finance and insurance
Revenue: €3.027 billion (2017)[1]
Operating Income: €1.185 billion (2017)
Net Income: €816 million (2017)
Assets: €179.098 billion (2017)
Equity: €12.709 billion (2017)
Owner:Spanish Government (61%)
Parent:BFA Tenedora de Acciones
Num Employees: 13,463 (2017)
Fate:Merged with CaixaBank
Successor:CaixaBank
Location:Madrid and Valencia, Spain

Bankia (pronounced as /es/) was a Spanish financial services company that was formed in December 2010, consolidating the operations of seven regional savings banks,[2] and was partially nationalized by the government of Spain in May 2012 due to the near-collapse of the institution.[3] [4] As of 2017, Bankia was the fourth largest bank in Spain, with total assets of €179.1 billion.[5] In 2021, the bank merged with CaixaBank to create a new entity, initially preserving its original name.

History

Formation and IPO

Bankia was formed on 3 December 2010, as a result of the union of seven Spanish savings banks that had a major presence in their historical core regions. The merger of the seven banks, known as 'cold fusion', took only four months, with the integration contract being signed on 30 July 2010.[6] Caja Madrid, which was itself owned by the government of the Community of Madrid, held controlling interest. The distribution of shares was as follows:

After the merger, Bankia was initially owned by the holding company Banco Financiero y de Ahorros (BFA), and the seven banks controlled BFA. The most toxic assets from the banks were transferred to BFA, which obtained €4.5 billion from the Spanish government rescue fund FROB in exchange for preference shares with an annual interest rate of 7.75%, maturing in 2015. In 2011, Bankia offered shares to the public in an IPO.[7] [8] Investment bankers found little interest in the IPO among international institutional investors. The strategy shifted to selling the stock domestically and largely to customers of the bank itself, with 98% of the initial €3.1 billion raised by domestic sales of shares.[9] The shares of Bankia began trading on the Bolsa de Madrid on 20 July 2011, under the symbol BKIA, and the bank was listed in the IBEX 35.

Insolvency and state bailout

In 2012, Bankia was the third-largest lender in Spain but the largest holder of real estate assets at €38 billion. On 7 May 2012, Rodrigo Rato stepped down as chairman of Bankia SA, in order to clear the way for a rescue plan that the Spanish government hoped would persuade international investors of the country's financial stability. José Ignacio Goirigolzarri became the new president. Concerns about the value of Bankia's assets, and the potential for further losses in the future, prompted speculation that the Spanish government would inject up to €10 billion of new capital into the troubled bank.[10]

On 10 May, the Spanish government said it would convert its preference shares in BFA into voting shares, giving it a controlling stake of 45% in Bankia. On 25 May, trading in the shares was suspended at Bankia's request.[11]

On 25 May, it was reported that Bankia SA had negotiated a further state guarantee, marking another rise in the cost of a drawn-out rescue. Bankia also revised its earnings statement for 2011, stating that instead of a profit of €309 million, it had in fact lost €4.3 billion before taxes, and asked for 1.4 billion fiscal credit to reduce its loss.[12] The New York Times described the increasing bailout as making Spain one of the new focal points of the European sovereign-debt crisis.[13] In response to growing concerns, Standard & Poor's downgraded its rating of Bankia's creditworthiness to BB+, making it a junk bond.[14]

In the end, the rescue plans approved by the European Commission on 27 June 2012 under state aid rules included an equity injection for €4465 million and a liquidity guarantee of €19 billion to BFA, 12 of which would be provided to Bankia.[15] [16]

Restructuring (2012-2017)

A number of limitations were imposed as a result of having received state aid. Shareholders had to share part of the burden of the capital injection, the balance sheet had to be reduced, dividends were restricted until 2014, and both the branch network (-39%) and workforce (-28%) had to be reduced.[17]

In addition to the financial problems, the new management had to deal with controversies related to former management.

In 2013, Bankia returned to profitability.[18] In 2013, Bankia Bolsa was acquired by the Catalan entity GVC (founded by the president of the Barcelona Stock Exchange, Joan Hortalà). Bankia, which received 37 million euros from the sale, did not report the capital gains. Subsequently, the entity changed its name to Beka Finance.[19]

On 28 February 2014, Spain sold a 7.5% stake in Bankia for €1.3 billion. The shares were sold at €1.51 each.[20] Further divestment was expected for 2014 under the rescue programme, but did not happen.[21]

On 7 July 2015, Bankia paid the first dividend in its history €0,0176 per share. On 16 October, Bankia completed the sale of City National Bank of Florida for $883 million to Chilean bank BCI.[22] The bank was bought by Caja Madrid for $1.12 billion in 2008.[23] At the end of 2015, Bankia had fulfilled two years ahead of schedule all the targets set by the European Commission in the BFA-Bankia Group Restructuring Plan. The bank also reported the best efficiency, solvency, and profitability among the six largest Spanish banks.[24]

On 23 February 2016, Fitch raised Bankia's rating to "BBB−", restoring the bank's rating to investment grade.[25] On 8 September, Bankia announced that it was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index with a score of 84 out of 100.[26]

On 27 June 2017, Bankia agreed to acquire state-owned bank BMN (Banco Mare Nostrum) for €825 million in an all-stock deal. BMN was the result of the merger of the savings banks Caja Murcia, Caja Granada and Sa Nostra. On 3 November, Bankia announced that it was listed in the CDP Climate Change report for 2017 as one of a group of 112 global companies leading the fight against climate change.[27] The restructuring period will end on 31 December 2017.[28] The deadline for the privatisation of Bankia was end-2019,[29] however, in December 2018 the Government decided to postpone the privatization until end-2021.[30]

Since 2017

On 27 February 2018, Bankia announced that it planned to pay €2.5 billion to shareholders over the next three years as part of its 2018-2020 strategic plan. It aimed for a profit of €1.3 billion in 2020.[31]

On 4 September 2020, it was confirmed that CaixaBank and Bankia were negotiating a potential merger. The merger would create the biggest domestic bank in Spain with assets of €650 billion.[32] The merger was effective 26 March 2021.[33]

Controversies

IPO misleading

On 27 January 2016, the Spanish Supreme Court ordered Bankia to reimburse two small investors for misleading them during its 2011 IPO. The court said that the prospectus for its public stock offering had contained "serious inaccuracies". The bank is aware of lawsuit claims totalling €819 million and has set aside €1.84 billion in provisions for claims.[34] On 17 February 2016, the bank announced it would fully compensate minority shareholders who participated in the IPO in exchange for returning their shares to the bank. They will receive 100% of their investment plus 1% compensatory interest per annum.[35] The offer saved Bankia €400 million in legal costs.[36]

Preference shares

Bankia sold around €5 billion in complex financial products such as preference shares and subordinated debt to customers. Most of these products suffered enforced writedowns. The bank began an arbitration process in 2013.[37] On 15 July 2016, the time limit for submissions of applications for arbitration expired.[38]

Credit card misuse

On 23 February 2017, 65 individuals received sentences for misusing the company's credit cards. Rodrigo Rato (former president of Bankia, and also a former managing director of the IMF) was sentenced to four and a half years in jail, and Miguel Blesa (former chairman of Caja Madrid) was sentenced to six years in jail.[39] The other defendants received sentences ranging from three months to six years.[40] Documents indicate that the personal spending by executives and directors totaled €12.5 million. The fraud was discovered by the publication of an article on eldiario.es based on the emails of Miguel Blesa. Initially, the article did not lead to any judicial investigation. Instead, Madrid's chief prosecutor tried to initiate legal actions against the media that spread the emails of Blesa, because they were "illicitly obtained". The news led Bankia to order an internal investigation, and the bank later transferred the information to the FROB.[41] [42]

Customer care

In January 2022, Carlos San Juan de Laorden, a retired urologist from Valencia with Parkinson's disease started an online petition for more human customer care at bank branches. At a malfunctioning ATM a sign informed customers that they could only be seen with appointments, but no appointments could be made by phone.[43] He gathered more than 600,000 signatures in 2 months, asking banks and other institutions to serve all citizens, and not discriminate the oldest and most vulnerable members. In Spain, the number of bank branches had shrunk to about 20,000 in 10 years since the bailout of 2012, and with the coronavirus pandemic another 3,000 branches closed in less than 2 years with the push for online banking.[44]

Organisation

The bank has its registered office and address of the subsidiaries in Valencia, while its operational headquarters are in Madrid. It also has a representation office in Shanghai.The bank is organised into six business areas: Retail Banking, Business Banking, Private Banking, Asset Management and Bancassurance, Capital Markets and Investees.[45]

Bankia is listed on the Bolsa de Madrid and was a constituent of the IBEX 35.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Annual Report – Consolidated Financial Statements 2016 . 4 June 2017 . 26 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170426060355/http://www.bankia.com/recursos/doc/corporativo/20121001/ingles74659/2016-cons-financial-statements-management-report-and-auditors-report.pdf . dead .
  2. Web site: Bankia Profile . Bankia.com . 17 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110917010329/http://www.bankia.com/Portal/Home/cruce/0,0,84682$P1=601,00.html . 17 September 2011 . dead.
  3. News: Spain Pours Billions into Bank. 25 May 2012. The Wall Street Journal. amp. Christopher. Bjork. Jonathan. House. Sara Schaefer. Muñoz. 26 May 2012.
  4. News: Spain's Bankia seeks record bailout of €19 bn. Abiven. Katell. 25 May 2012. Yahoo! News. Agence France-Presse. 26 May 2012.
  5. News: Bankia approves merger agreement with BMN - Press releases - In the news - Communication - Bankia. S.A.. Bankia. Bankia. 2017-06-27. 15 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180315082023/http://www.bankia.com/en/communication/in-the-news/press-releases/bankia-approves-merger-agreement-with-bmn.html. dead.
  6. Web site: Creation of the Bankia Group. Bankia. 9 March 2016. 12 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200112210717/https://www.bankia.com/en/who-we-are/about-us/origin/. dead.
  7. News: Bankia's IPO Float hopes . The Economist . 30 June 2011 . 25 May 2012.
  8. News: Spain Takes Over Bankia, Readies Second Bailout After Rato Quits . Charles . Penty . Emma . Ross-Thomas . amp . 9 May 2012 . Bloomberg . 25 May 2012.
  9. News: Spain's Handling of Bankia Repeats a Pattern of Denial. 11 June 2012. Sara Schaefer . Munoz . David . Enrich . Christopher . Bjork . amp . The Wall Street Journal.
  10. News: Bankia chief quits as Spain readies bailout . 8 May 2012 . Reuters . 26 May 2012.
  11. News: Bankia shares suspended amid bailout request reports . 25 May 2012 . BBC News . 25 May 2012.
  12. Web site: Las pérdidas antes de impuestos de Bankia son de 4.300 millones. 26 May 2012. es. M. Jiménez. El País. 26 May 2012.
  13. News: Spanish Lender Seeks 19 Billion Euros; Ratings Cut on 5 Banks . Raphael. Minder . 25 May 2012 . The New York Times . 25 May 2012.
  14. News: Spain to Inject €19 Billion into Bankia, Troubled Lender Says . Christopher. Bjork . 25 May 2012 . The Wall Street Journal . 25 May 2012.
  15. Web site: 2012-06-27. State aid: Commission approves state support for Spanish Bankia/BFA. European Commission - European Commission.
  16. Web site: SA.34820 Rescue measures in favour of BFA/Bankia – Spain .
  17. Web site: Strategic Plan 2012-2015 - Strategic plan - Who we are - Bankia. Bankia. 2016-02-01. Bankia. S.A.. 20 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160120121411/http://www.bankia.com/en/who-we-are/strategic-plan/strategic-plan-2012-2015/. dead.
  18. Web site: BFA-Bankia records profit of €213 million in Q1 2013. S.A.. Bankia. Bankia. 2017-02-26.
  19. Web site: 2014-02-07 . La vieja Bankia Bolsa se llamará Beka Finance y operará en renta fija y 'corporate finance' . 2023-05-09 . Vozpópuli . es.
  20. News: Spain makes small profit on Bankia stake sale. 2014-02-28. Reuters. 2016-03-12.
  21. Web site: Statement by the European Commission and the European Central Bank following the second post-programme surveillance mission to Spain. 2014-10-13.
  22. Web site: Bankia closes the sale of City National Bank with a net capital gain of 117 million euros - Press releases - In the news - Communication - Bankia. S.A.. Bankia. Bankia. 2016-03-10.
  23. News: City National Bank of Florida will be sold to a Chilean bank. miamiherald. 2017-02-25. en.
  24. Web site: BFA-Bankia Year 3 Report. S.A.. Bankia. Bankia. 2016-04-01. 17 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210917121300/http://www.bankia.com/recursos/doc/corporativo/20121001/ingles74659/informe-bfa-bankia-ano3.pdf. dead.
  25. News: Bankia obtains a net attributable profit of 731 million euros in the year to September, down 14.5% - Press releases - In the news - Communication - Bankia. S.A.. Bankia. Bankia. 2016-11-10. 11 November 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161111013953/http://www.bankia.com/en/communication/in-the-news/press-releases/bankia-obtains-a-net-attributable-profit-of-731-million-euros-in-the-year-to-september-down-145.html. dead.
  26. Web site: Bankia recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the world following its inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) - Press releases - In the news - Communication - Bankia. S.A.. Bankia. 2016-09-13. 19 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160919083623/http://www.bankia.com/en/communication/in-the-news/press-releases/bankia-recognised-as-one-of-the-most-sustainable-companies-in-the-world-following-its-inclusion-in-the-dow-jones-sustainability-index.html. dead.
  27. News: Bankia recognised as one of the world's leading companies in the fight against climate change - Press releases - In the news - Communication - Bankia. S.A.. Bankia. Bankia. 2017-11-08. 8 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171108193515/http://www.bankia.com/en/communication/in-the-news/press-releases/bankia-recognised-as-one-of-the-worlds-leading-companies-in-the-fight-against-climate-change.html. dead.
  28. Web site: Restructuring and Recapitalisation of the BFA Group. European Commission. 2017-04-07.
  29. News: UPDATE 1-Spain expands deadline to privatise Bankia by two years - government source. 2016-12-01. Reuters. 2017-05-06.
  30. Web site: Spain delays Bankia privatisation again. 2018-12-21. France 24. en. 2019-01-08.
  31. News: Spain's Bankia to pay back 2.5 billion euros to shareholders over.... Reuters. 2018-02-27. en-GB.
  32. News: Jesús. Aguado. 2020-09-06. More bank mergers loom as Bankia, Caixabank eye big savings. Reuters. 2020-09-04.
  33. Web site: La nueva CaixaBank inicia su andadura y negociará el ajuste tras Semana Santa. 2021-03-27. www.efe.com. es.
  34. News: Spanish Supreme Court Orders Bankia to Repay 2 Investors in Its I.P.O.. The New York Times. 2016-01-27. 2016-02-15. 0362-4331. Raphael. Minder.
  35. Web site: Bankia begins returning investments to minority shareholders who acquired shares during IPO - Press releases - In the news - Communication - Bankia. Bankia. 2016-02-17. Bankia. S.A.. 23 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160223125321/http://www.bankia.com/en/communication/in-the-news/press-releases/bankia-begins-returning-investments-to-minority-shareholders-who-acquired-shares-during-ipo.html. dead.
  36. News: Spanish Ex-Friar-Turned-Lawyer Counts Loss From Bankia IPO Offer. 2016-02-19. Bloomberg.com. 2017-02-06.
  37. Web site: Barcelona Bankia branch faces asset seizure over preferential shares. El País. 2016-09-23. en. 2016-09-23.
  38. News: Arbitration for preferred securities - Customers - Bankia. S.A.. Bankia. Bankia. 2016-12-28. 13 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200113015119/https://www.bankia.com/en/customers/arbitration-for-preferred-securities/. dead.
  39. News: Former I.M.F. Leader Sentenced for Embezzlement. Minder. Raphael. 2017-02-23. The New York Times. 2017-02-24. 0362-4331.
  40. News: Ex-IMF chief Rato sentenced to four-and-a-half years over credit card scandal. 2017-02-23. EL PAÍS. 2017-02-24. en.
  41. News: Los consejeros de Caja Madrid tenían tarjetas de crédito en 'negro' de hasta 50.000 euros al año. eldiario.es. 2017-01-24. es.
  42. News: La investigación de las tarjetas se inició por la publicación de los correos de Blesa por eldiario.es. eldiario.es. 2017-01-24. es.
  43. News: Viejo . Manuel . 2022-01-20 . Carlos, the Spanish retiree taking on the banks . en-US . El Pais English . 2022-03-29.
  44. News: Minder . Raphael . 2022-03-25 . 'I'm Old, Not an Idiot.' One Man's Protest Gets Attention of Spanish Banks . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-03-29 . 0362-4331.
  45. Web site: Business areas - Who we are - Bankia. S.A.. Bankia. Bankia. 2016-03-09. 30 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180530144013/http://www.bankia.com/en/who-we-are/business-areas. dead.